Adjustable knock off for winding machines



March 26, 1963 D. G. BURNELL ADJUSTABLE KNOCK OFF FOR WINDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1959 mvemon: DAVID G. BURNELL March 26, 1 963 D. G. BURNELL ADJUSTABLE KNOCK OFF FOR WINDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1959 INVENTOR DA W0 6. flak/val.

ATTORNEY llnited States 3,082,969 ADJUSTABLE KNUQK OFF FOR WINDING MACHINES;

David G. Burnell, Lexington, a., assignor to James Lees and Sons Company, Bridgeport, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 6, 1959, Scr. No. 851,353 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-2-39) This invention relates to automatic devices for controlling textile machinery and more particularly to an automatic knock-off for a yarn winder.

In present winding equipment in which a pivoting cradle carries a take-up spool or bobbin that is frictionally driven to wind up thread or yarn on the bobbin, no provision is made for adjusting the size of the yarn package on the bobbin or specifically the diameter thereof. The present invention incorporates a simple device which can be set by the operator to pivot the cradle to the knock-01f or inoperative position whenever a predetermined diameter has been reached on the spool.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control rod adlustably connected to the cradle of a winding machine, a microswitch operatively associated with said control rod, and means for adjusting the connection between the control rod and the cradle.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front view showing one of the winding units on a multiple cradle winding frame and having the present invention incorporated therein,

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure of FIG. 1,

PEG. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail as seen at 3-3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail as seen at 44 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a sectional side elevation illustrating the position of various parts of the rockable frame when it is in contact with the driving drum,

FIG. 6 is a sectional side elevation illustrating the po sition of certain parts of the rockable frame when it is in release or non-driving relationship with the driving drum, and

FIG. 7 is a schematic line diagram of the stop motion embodied in the present invention.

A winding machine to which the present invention may be readily adapted incorporates a series of lockable cradles, generally designated by reference numeral 5, which are keyed to a shaft 6 which is in turn journaled in a bracket 7 secured to the winding machine frame 8 by means of bolts 9, 9. The upper portion of each of the cradles 5 is constructed to receive a bobbin 0r spool 19 on which layers of thread or yarn Y are wound from a suitable source, not shown. The spool iii is turned by contact with a driving drum or cylinder 11 keyed to drive shaft 12. Drum H has a sleeve of rubber or rub ber-like material 3.3 which is secured to the periphery lla of the drum lit. The length of the drum is such that it fits freely between the flanges 14 and 15 of the bobbin 19. With the yarn winding on the bobbin and the spool driven by the drum 11, the yarn gradually builds up in layers between flanges 14 and 15 until the cradle pivots on shaft 6 to the point that is necessary to correspond with the diameter of the desired yarn package. At this time a microswitch 16 is actuated to further pivot the cradle to the position shown in FIG. 2 in which the yarn package no longer contacts sleeve 13. A second non-operative or non-driving pivoted position for the cradle is shown in broken lines in FIG. 2. This position is used to dofr" and replace the spool whereas the full line position shown in FIG. 2 is merely a knock-ofi or non-driving position.

The adjustable knock-off feature comprises a micro- 3,@Z,%9 Patented Mar. 26, 1963 ice switch 16 mounted on a bracket 17 which is in turn secured to frame 8 through bracket 18 and hinge connecion 19. A control rod 2'0 is slidably supported in a pair of collars 21 and 22 which are secured in upstanding ears 23 and 24 on bracket 17. Collar 21 is secured in ear 23 by means of a setscrew 25 and collar 22 is similarly secured in car 24 by means of a setscrew 26. Both of the collars 21 and 2.2 are grooved at 27 to permit passage of a key 28 secured to the rod 26 The forward terminus of key 23 is slidably beveled to facilitate actuation of the button 29 of switch 16. The opposite end of rod 2d is adjustably clamped to one arm 5a of the cradle 5 by means of a swivel collar clamp 35 secured to the arm 5:: by means of a capscrew 36 and washer 37. A wing nut 38 permits the rod 20 to be locked in collar 35 at any desired location but the collar is free to turn in the arm 5a to permit pivoting of the cradle to the inoperative positicn, which, in turn, swings the entire bracket assembly 17 around the hinge 19. It will be understood that the yarn Y on the spool llii builds up sufficiently so that the periphery of the yarn layer in contact with the drum sleeve 13 pivots cradle 5 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 2, against the bias of spring 46.

Referring now to FIGURES 5 and 6 wherein a detailed illustration of the component parts of a cradle 5 is shown, it is seen that the cradle 5 includes a frame casing 42 keyed adjacent its lower end to shaft 6, with its upper end being provided with a hub 54 which is adapted to receive one end of the bobbin 10' in keyed relationship therewith. A brake shoe 53 is pivotally mounted at one end at 53a to the casing 42 immediately below the hub 54 and is provided with a brake lining 5312 which Will engage the hub 43 to effect the locking of the bobbin 19 when required. The pivoting latch or lever 5b is freely mounted at one end to the shaft 6 (see FIG- URE 1), and has an oifset portion extending into the casing 42. A stud 51 on the free end of the lever ofiset is pivotally connected by a link 52 to the free end of the brake shoe 53. The stud 51 also supports a roll 53a and a manually operated reset link 41 that extends through an opening to the outside of the casing 42.

A trigger 44 having a nose portion 44:: is pivoted at 43 to the casing 42. A twist spring 4'7 has one end engaging the trigger 44 and its other end engaging the wall of the casing 42. The trigger 44 is provided with a ledge as and the twist spring swings the trigger clockwise until the ledge lrr abuts against a stop pin 45 fixed in the casing 42. The twist spring d7 thus keeps the nose of the trigger 4-4 in normal raised position for contact by the roll 53a. The manual reset link 41 is notched at 411a to engage at catch 43 fixed to a side wall of the casing 42. When so engaged, the reset link it will hold the roll 53a out of the path of nose 44a of the trigger. A solenoid 56 is mounted within the casing 42 and has its plunger 59a connected by a link fill/b to the trigger 4d. The solenoid 59 together with a trip box and the switch 66 are wired to the electronic control relay 61 as shown in FIG. 7.

One side of the latch or lever 5b is rovided with a stud 50 which is partially encircled by one end of a tension spring 40. The other end of the spring so is fastened to the head of a bolt ida which passes through an opening in the fixed frame member of the machine. The tension imposed upon the lever Si; by the spring 40 may be regulated by an adiusting nut ssb. A stud 62 is fixed to the opposite side of the lever 5b and is partially encircled by one end of another tension spring 63. The other end of the spring 63 passes through an opening in the casing 42 and around a pin 64 mounted on the outside of the casing 42.

The lever 5b may be further provided with a segmental ratchet 58 whose teeth underlie a pawl 56 pivoted on a stud 55 secured to a suitable bracket. The pawl 56 may be provided with a handle 57 for raising the pawl out of the path of the teeth of the ratchet 58. The ratchet 58 and its associated parts are optional with respect to the present invention, and may or may not be used herein.

The detailed knock-off mechanism just described is shown and its operation described in detail in US. Patent No. 2,930,538. In general, in the operation of such mechanism in the present invention, the pivoting latch or lever 5b is journalled on shaft 6 and is biased by means of spring 49. The solenoid 5i) releases a connection between the arm 5b and the cradle 5'. When the spool 10 is full, the latch 41 may be actuated manually for this purpose so that the operator can disconnect the driving drum 11 at any time. With the latch 41 engaged, spring 40 urges the periphery of the yarn package against the rubber sleeve 13 until the key 28 actuates microswitch 16 to release the lever 5b in the usual manner. With the improvement of the present invention, when it is desired to obtain a larger build-up on the spool, it is only necessary to loosen Wing nut 38 and slide the rod 20' downwardly and backwardly (FIGURE 2) so that a larger diameter must be reached on the spool before the key actuates switch 16. The operator can hold the cradle in the position which will provide the desired size yarn package, then adjust the rod to actuate the switch and then tighten wing nut 38. In order to spring the cradle to the dofiing position shown in FIGURE 2, the manual latch 41 can be actuated to disconnect the arm 519 from the cradle proper thus permitting the additional pivoting movement. Also, in the dofiing operation, the sliding pin 42 is displaced laterally to release the spindle from the spool 10 thereby permitting its ready removal and the insertion of a new spool.

It will, therefore, be understood that instead of the fixed knock-ofl5 conventionally supplied on spool winders of this type, I provide a simple, inexpensive mechanism which can accurately control the size and therefore the poundage in each yarn package. Yarn package size is of a special importance since in the tufting and weaving of pile fabrics, such as carpets, it is highly desirable to control the amount of yarn accurately from all of the yarn packages on the creel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an adjustable knock-off for a spool winder having a framework, a spool cradle pivotally journaled on said framework, a latch, said latch retaining said cradle in operating position, a solenoid, said solenoid acting to release said latch means, and a switch cooperating with the movement of said cradle to actuate said solenoid, the improvement comprising, a bracket mounted on said framework in spaced relation to the cradle, a hinge on which said bracket is mounted on said framework, a pair of cars on said bracket in spaced relation to each other, a switch mounted on said bracket between said ears connected to said solenoid, a rod freely slidable in said ears adjacent one terminus thereof andadjustably secured to the cradle at the other terminus thereof, and means on the rod for actuating the switch when the cradle pivots to a predetermined position, said switch actuating said solenoid to release said latching means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 588,979 Kraft Aug. 24, 1897 1,695,359 Bath Dec. 18, 1928 1,846,513 Douglas Feb. 23, 1932 1,933,548 Finney Nov. 7, 1933 2,079,252 Healy May 4, 1937 2,675,435 Framhein Apr. 13, 1954 2,930,538 Miller Mar. 29, 1960 

